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From reading the latest headlines in the media, you would think that the only things telcos care about right now are 5G, NFV/SDN and IoT devices. While this may be valid for the upper echelons of mobile and fixed network operators, it is not the case for many telcos. Indeed, a large number of them a...

Mobile operators are continually seeking ways to maintain their revenues as their user base evolves and customers demand new types of services. Compared to previous generations, younger people are far less reliant on traditional services such as voice. Indeed, making a call is one of the last things...

Did I get your attention? It’s the Trump era now so to get ahead of everything else in this noisy world, I feel I need your attention. So what am I trying to say?
Unbundling or retail purchasing of telecom services instead of corporate account buying for the business need will break the lon...

QoS Challenges in the NFV/5G networks
NFV-core based 5G networks have already caught the fancy of the Telco Cloud service provider. The reasons for this are its promise of high QoS.
High speed/throughput, high reliability, low latency, high capacity, high availability, high connectivity and dynam...

The ability to make and receive calls is the lifeblood of any customer-facing enterprise, while conventional fixed telephony systems are becoming something of an anachronism as people now favour mobile devices. The question that most SMEs should now be asking their IT departments is: do we still nee...

We’re just a week away from this year’s TM Forum Live, which if past years are anything to go by will provide an excellent platform for discussions on the topics I have explored in my recent blogs.
I started out by asking a couple of simple questions: what does it mean to be a digital...

Digitization of businesses and virtualization of networks promise business benefits but are also introducing new challenges for the communications service providers.
Ongoing exponential increase in data consumption by subscribers, especially of video applications and OTT, has taken a toll on the ...

As the SDN and NFV train steams further on its journey towards network revolution, has the industry stopped to consider the wider impact? Is the infrastructure in place to serve the demands of the new system?
Trials continue with a bout of enthusiasm for the potential of SDN and NFV, which ...

In the market for an OSS/BSS product? Just know selecting the best product is only half the battle…

Have you ever been involved in an OSS vendor selection process – or for that matter, any software selection that involves selecting between multiple vendors? If you haven’t, if done correctly the process ranges between 4-8 weeks and should start with the buyer (carrier) creating an RFP that contains important categories that the vendors must address. For example, the carrier will usually include detailed system requirements, product architecture requirements (e.g. scalability), detailed use cases / scenarios that the software vendor must demonstrate they can support with their product, etc., etc. The vendors are typically given 4 weeks or so to respond.

When RFP responses are returned, the carrier then begins the meticulous process of reviewing each of the vendor’s responses. Typically, a weighted scoring system is defined and then used to grade the vendor’s response for each category; for example:

-Vendor’s product architecture / SDK

-Vendor’s out-of-box functionality

-Vendor’s configuration and customization capabilities

-Vendor’s support for custom use cases

-Vendor’s integration capabilities

-# of customers using the product in production

-Etc.

After several meetings, conference calls, product demonstrations, etc. the decision usually becomes clearer…and when you think you’ve selected the right product...pat yourself on the back...just one more hurdle to get through. What you need to know is this…your work is only 50% complete once you’ve selected the product best suits your organization. The other 50%....who’s going to implement it?!

I stand by what I just said; you need to put an equal amount of importance on selecting what company (Systems Integrator) will implement the solution. Do not for a second assume the owner of the software product is by default responsible for the delivery. I can go on for days about why that is a bad assumption. It’s becoming common for telecommunication carriers to purchase a software product from one company only to utilize a different company for the implementation. Do your homework on who are the best companies who can deliver the solution for you.

Gone are the days within the telecommunications industry where a carrier purchased a software product from a ‘software provider’ – and then selected a systems integrator to implement it. Nowadays, thanks to Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A’s) large companies who have experience in, for example, BSS are purchasing software companies in the OSS market in order to dominate and monopolize the market. M&A’s always result in change – and in some cases it’s for the worse. Key expert resources leave the company, methodologies change, priorities change, new culture is adopted, etc.

I feel like I can go on and on with this blog, but I’ll leave you with the following suggestions if you find yourself in a position of selecting a software vendor:

1.Do your research on the technical product itself….making sure it will support your business for the long-term.

2.If you select a product that is owned by a major global SI, make sure to contact multiple existing customers – call them and ask specific questions about strengths and weaknesses, capabilities to deliver, issues, etc. If they do not provide this info…proceed cautiously.

3.Look into smaller / boutique consulting companies…while they may be small, they usually are very capable, cheaper and very flexible

a.If you select a smaller vendor…verify you are covered legally within the terms and conditions of software owner…they typically tie-down the carrier with ridiculous terms and conditions.

b.Remember, flexibility in your delivery is always a good thing.

4.Remember, you’re the client and paying for this….don’t take any BS.

About John McVey John McVey works as Partner at DonRiver, Inc.
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Comments

1 comment

Kent McNeilJohn, great post. This area is constantly overlooked in the evaluation process. The assumption is typically that the product is commercial grade and installed elsewhere so how hard can it be?

The reality of course is that many OSS implementatio... moreJohn, great post. This area is constantly overlooked in the evaluation process. The assumption is typically that the product is commercial grade and installed elsewhere so how hard can it be?

The reality of course is that many OSS implementations fail or cost 100% more than estimated, simply because the integrator (or lack of integrator) did not have sufficient experience and understanding of how a new OSS solution impacts existing IT systems, processes and personnel not to mention the product's own functionality. less

22 February 2010

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